1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for physically treating liquids in a section of tube by using permanent magnets opposing each other in pairs around a tube. These permanent magnets are disposed one after the other in the axial direction and in a helical configuration in a body made from unmagnetizable material.
If the flowing liquids move through a magnetic field which extends vertically to the direction of flow, the effect of the Lorentz power takes place, i.e. bipolar molecules are being electrostatically charged. In the case of fuel, added oxygen is better bonded thereto than to circular molecules which are predominantly present in fuel. As a result, such molecules or molecule groups are burned immediately which brings about a higher quantity of effectively burned components of the respective fuel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of systems comprising permanent magnets are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,888,113; 5,500,121; 5,556,654; 4,872,401; and 5,860,353 are known in the art and incorporated herein by reference.
These systems are for physically treating liquids such as water or fuels whereby these permanent magnets are mounted on the pipeline conducting the flow of liquid. Known devices include ring shaped or flat magnets and also multi-component systems mounted on the pipelines. These systems are created to treat the liquid to maximally influence it by a magnetic field.
Liquids have been successfully treated by magnetic fields for decades for medical purposes. There are also a number of devices that are installed directly in or on the stream of liquid. However, devices comprising a plurality of pairs of magnets that oppose each other symmetrically and are offset in a linear configuration are effective whereby the poling of all magnetically active pairs are aligned in a Northxe2x80x94North (Nxe2x80x94N) configuration. This type of a configuration produces very favorable results for the specific liquid being treated such as the treatment of fuels. When these arrangements or configurations are used for treating water however, the greater varieties in the water composition pose problems for the successful influence of the magnetic spectrum exerted on the water. This applies in particular if the flow rate of the streams of liquid vary.
A device for physically treating liquids using magnets is known from WO 99/55624, which discloses more than two pairs of magnets, arranged in such a way that a helical magnetic field is created in the tube section.
The drawbacks of these known systems are that they have a limited degree of efficiency, or that they are suitable only for specific liquids.
Furthermore, these permanent magnets can be arranged in different configurations in a compact manner in plastic compounds to safely secure these magnets in their installed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,312 and WO 95/09816 describe arrangements for such a purpose which include the use of thermosetting plastics. Magnet carriers or means for holding the magnets made from plastic materials consisting of thermosetting or thermoplastics, which are produced by transfer or injection molding or casting methods are not used with this system but other systems. These systems are not used because the heat acting on these permanent magnets in the course of operation diminishes the degree of efficiency of such devices.
The invention is designed to treat fluids such as all types of liquid compositions at a favorable cost with high efficiency. Furthermore, this device should be produced at a favorable cost as well.
The magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets is preferably produced by magnetic fields acting in a homopolar manner and opposing each other in pairs. These magnetic fields extend in an axially successive arrangement with a helical configuration over the entire length of the arrangement with the same spacing between the magnets.
The screw shape of the magnetic fields extending axially to the flow direction of liquid assures the complete coverage of the tube cross section in a pipe since the stream therein as a rule runs in a laminar fashion. If the magnetic fields are exclusively linear, rim portions in the cross section of the supply line are not covered. The same holds true for magnetic polarities. The reaction of the molecules present in the non-influenced stream to exclusively one polarized direction is insufficient so that due to changing magnetic fields, other molecule layers are also seized, which would remain non-influenced without such an arrangement. Thus, this design creates a highly effective compact unit that can be built into new motor vehicles.
This arrangement generates a helical magnetic field. The individual magnets are arranged in a homopolar manner, whereby the respective north poles and the respective south poles are preferably directed in an alternating arrangement at the tube. The pairs of magnets disposed one after the other are each mounted with a linear spacing corresponding to 1.5 to 2 times their length. The pairs of magnets arranged in a helical configuration are embedded in two half shells preferably made of an elastic plastic material.
Because the compact system of the paired permanent magnets act in a homopolar manner, these produce a full-volume effect to influence the liquids being treated due to the long, turned magnetic field. This magnetic field permits a short and compact construction.
The active magnetic field is applied by different fields each being arranged one after the other in an alternating manner and homopolar in the Nxe2x80x94N and also in the Southxe2x80x94South (Sxe2x80x94S) arrangement. The fields are also applied with opposite polarity in the N-S configuration, in the direction of the tube section.
To vary the effective fields of the arrangement, it is possible to cause two or more groups of this arrangement to successively act on the respective line flowed through by the treated liquid. With the basic unit and its multi-style arrangement it is possible to adapt the action of the magnetic fields which can be adjusted at any time from the outside to the given requirements, whereby the basic unit remains the same.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the position of the permanent magnets for treating fuel is fixed by means of a semi-hard, flame retardant polyurethane elastomer foam material. In addition, the polyurethane elastomer can be in the form of an integral foam material. Thus, the permanent magnets are coated in fuel treatment devices by injecting the foam around the magnets in molds.
A semi-hard integral elastomeric polyurethane foam, produces a closed outer skin, and a core zone with closed cells is formed around the magnets. This foam insulates the magnets thermally against the very high temperatures prevailing on the outside in the engine compartment especially when operating in hot climatic zones. Permanent magnets are sensitive to high temperatures in excess of about 100xc2x0 C. and lose power that is irreversibly lost and constantly diminishes the effect. Embedding these magnets in compact plastics such as thermosetting plastics or thermoplastics, does not offer any safe thermal protection and needs to be additionally supported. This is only inadequately achieved with the material having conditioned coefficients of thermal conductivity of such plastics of about 0.16 to 0.29 kcal/m.h. centigrade through a reinforcement of thickness of the wall. Furthermore, increasing the wall thickness of these systems to enhance the thermal protection incurs additional cost for materials and, furthermore, restricts their application due to the resulting greater volume which makes accommodating these coated systems in motor vehicles impossible.